Company plans move to Southington

A Newington stamping and manufacturing company in business since 1964 will be moving to a larger building on Industrial Road in Southington.

Atlas Stamping & Manufacturing has been located on N. Mountain Road in Newington since 1993 and before that the business operated in New Britain.

The company specializes in sheet metal fabrications, sheet metal stampings, brackets, and assemblies.

Materials used range from high temperature alloys, stainless steel, titanium, and nickel alloys. Some of Atlas’s major customers include Pratt & Whitney, the U.S. government, Mitsubishi, and McClain International, explained Carlos Gonzalez, operations manager for Atlas.

With the company planning to grow, Gonzalez said they needed a larger building. Atlas will move into a new building at 143 Industrial Drive.

“There should be a growth spurt coming up in the next few years and we’re trying to prepare to satisfy our customers’ need,” Gonzalez said. “We’ve made an investment in the land and hopefully we’ll break ground in the springtime.”

The company has 25 employees and in the next few years plans to create three to 10 new jobs, maybe more, according to Lynda Prigodich, chief executive officer and quality assurance manager.

After searching nearly seven years for a new home, Prigodich said the company settled on Southington because of its centralized location and tax relief program.

“We found it in Southington with the property that fit our bill,” Prigodich said.

The site plan for the proposed 12,800-square-foot building was approved at the Planning and Zoning Commission earlier this month. Gonzalez said there is room on the property to expand in the future and they were approved for a 20,000-square-foot building.

“It’s pretty straightforward,” said Town Planner Rob Phillips, about the site plan. “There’s no concern.”

Phillips said the application has been reviewed by town staff and got the go ahead.

The hope is to break ground in the spring of 2015 and be moved in by Dec. 31. The new building will have two floors with office space on the second floor, a mezzanine area, and other offices and manufacturing area on the first floor.

At the current location, there are many walls that divide the company into different areas. Gonzalez said in the new space the company hopes to have a more open concept.

Outside firms have been hired to help the company with the move so it is a “smooth transition,” Gonzalez said.

“We have a firm also helping us layout our company so we have a nice flow,” Gonzalez said.

About 22 large pieces of manufacturing equipment will have to be moved to the new location on Industrial Road.

This week, Southington’s economic development director and Chamber of Commerce president will be visiting Atlas for a tour of the facility.

Prigodich said she is looking forward to the move and thinks it will be beneficial to the company and its employees.

“We’re a tight-knit, family-oriented company,” Prigodich said.

“We try to help our employees along. They’re a big part of our success, the people that we employ.”